Container



Jan. 5, 1943. J. M. HOTHERSALL CONTAINER Filed Dec. 5, 1939 /z i/ I8 I Patented Jan. 5, 1943 CONTAINER John M. Hothersall, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to AmericanCan Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation oi New Jersey Application December 5, 1939, Serial No. 307,689

1 Claim.

' the cans.

Under certain temperature conditions perishable products packed in cans have a tendency to spoil and ferment. By way of example, one such form of perishable products is frozen foods:

These foods are subject to spoilage when they are not kept under constant refrigeration. Exposing frozen food cans over long periods to room temperature or higher temperatures creates internal pressure due to fermentation and this pressure if not relieved will swell the can and may sometimes burst it open. Such fermented food product must not be eaten.

The instant invention contemplates overcoming the possible difficulty of a customer being sold a can of spoiled contents, by providing a sheet metal can with a deformable section which will expand under internal pressure and thereby visibly indicate the condition of the product within the can.

An object, therefore, of the invention is the provision of a sheet metal can having'a deformable section wherein excessive pressure created Within the can will expand the deformable section and thereby visibly indicate the condition of the contents of the can.

Another object is the provision in such a can of a deformable section secured at its edges and covering over a vent hole in a wall of the can so that internal pressure will expand or inflate the cap and thereby visibly indicate that such a pres- A sure exists within the can.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is aside elevation of a filled can embodying the instant invention, the upper portion of the can being broken away and shown in section;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the upper end of the can shown in Fig. 1, the view showing the construction of the deform able section of the can;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the upper portion of the.can in Fig. 1, the view showing the deformable section in an inflated condition;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the can as viewed from a plane indicated by the line 44 in Fig. 1; and

'panel bottom wall section ill.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 in Fig. 1, but not showing the contents.

As a preferred embodiment of-the invention the drawing illustrates a sheet metal can in which perishable foods are adapted to be packed. The can includes a preferably cylindrical body Ii having top and bottom closure members l2, I3 secured thereto in suitable seams i4. These seams are preferably of the well known double seam construction although other constructions of seam are equally well adapted to such a can.

The top closure member i2, is formed with an integral sunken panel l6 having a bottom wall section ll. The bottom wall section is perforated with a plurality of small holes i8. Side wall sections IQ of the panel are collapsed and bent under the surrounding wall of the closure member as best shown in Fig. 2. These collapsed side wall sections clamp and tightly hold in place the outer marginal edges of a resilient deformable element H which is disposed in the panel.

The deformable element 2! is preferably made of sheet rubber and normally lies flat against the This rubber element is on the outside of the can and entirely covers the panel perforations and hermetically seals them and the interior of the can against atmospheric conditions.

Thus if spoilage or fermentation of the can contents should occur the pressure vapors thereby created within the can will escape through the perforations la in the panel section of the top closure and will press against the resilient deformable element 2i. The resilient element will thereupon be bulged outwardly 0n the exterior of the can and thus visibly indicate the pressure condition within the can.

If sufficient pressure is created in the can the resilient element 2! will be inflated or blown up to the extent shown in'Fig. 3. Under these conditions cans stacked one on top of the other in a rack will topple over and thereby attract attention. The rubber element may blow out from under the clamping edge H! of the panel and thereby indicate that a pressure condition at one time existed within the can even though the pressure may have been relieved showing that such a can should be rejected. The element may even be inflated to such an extent that it would burst with a report and thereby attract attention to the pressure condition. Such a bursting of the element will tear the rubber and thus show on the surface of it that a pressure condition has existed and that the can should be rejected.

Itwill be seen that such a deformable section in a perishable food container is a desirable feature for otherwise a spoiled contents from which the pressure may have been relieved may not show. The deformable section, however, need not be restricted to its location in the top closure member. equally well located in the can body side wall or Such a deformable section may be' it is even conceivable that it may be desirable in the bottom closure member or in a special compartment attached to the can at any suitable place. Irrespective of location, the visual indication embodied in the can of the present invention, provides a reliable proof of the condition of the can contents.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim: A hermetically sealed container having a deformable section for indicating spoilage of the contents, comprising a body member having a substantially flat end closure member permanently secured thereto -in a hermetic seamed joint, said end closure member having a substantially flat countersunk panel therein disposed in a plane oflset inwardly from the plane of said end member and having a vent aperture therein, and a substantially flat deformable element of resilient sheet rubber disposed in said countersunk panel over said vent aperture and having its peripheral portion clamped tightly in place against said panel by an inwardly folded integral part of the container end closure defining said panel to constitute a hermetic joint, said deform able element being adapted to be inflated by the pressure of vapors escaping from the container interior through said panel aperture in the event of spoilage of the container contents, whereby to visually indicate such spoiled condition within said container.

JOHN M. HOTHERSALL. 

